On Thursday, Bruce Springsteen will join former president Bill Clinton at an Obama rally in Parma, Ohio. The campaign announced later that the iconic New Jersey rocker would add another stop that same day in Ames, Iowa.

Springsteen is no stranger to Democratic rallies. The weekend before election day in 2008, he warmed up a crowd of 80,000 people at an Obama event in Cleveland. Four years prior, Springsteen took part in a similar rally for Sen. John Kerry. Tuesday will be his first campaign event in this election cycle.

"Bruce Springsteen’s values echo what the president and vice president stand for: hard work, fairness, integrity,” Obama campaign manager Jim Messina told Ohio's The Plain Dealer. "His appearances will help with our get out the vote effort in these critical swing states and we are thrilled with his ongoing support."

Polls show the race in Ohio is tightening. As National Journal's Major Garrett reported on Wednesday, "The gap has closed from what was an 8 to 10 point Obama lead to just outside the margin of error." Consequently, Democrats are redoubling efforts there. Real Clear Politics's average of polls has Obama up by 1.3 points in the state.